Antinuclear

Australian news, and some related international items

Australian and world news this week

A bit of good news. Good news about global warming: The public’s paying attention.


Coronavirus. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Weekly Epidemiological Update

Climate. 

Climate change is triggering more earthquakes. Big Oil’s interests are a factor.

Nuclear. Insanity rules?  America going gaga about a balloon. Turkey pressing on with nuclear reactor build – all too handy to the earthquake zone.   Australia looking forward to its war against China. Ukraine thinking it would be nice to bomb Crimea – and that’s OK with the Yanks.  

Christina notes. Hooray – Australia’s cultural cringe is over! We’re gonna be important, like Ukraine! The evil of the nuclear industry – France to transfer public interest savings funds to the nuclear industry?

AUSTRALIA. 

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CLIMATE. Ann Darling: Nuclear power is no answer to anything our ailing planet needs. France in new row with Germany and Spain.   Leak: France wins recognition for nuclear in EU’s green hydrogen rules.      France wants to call nuclear-derived hydrogen “clean”. When the Great Tide returns. Twice as Much Land in Developing Nations Will be Swamped by Rising Seas than Previously Projected, New Research Shows.

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Night carnival in London calls for Julian Assange’s release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJaq08VHJk4    Ukraine purges libraries of Russian-language books – official.

ECONOMICS. Poland might have tax-payer fund its ambitious nuclear plans, and hope that investors might come in later. Marketing: Russia marketing nuclear reactors to Myanmar. Cameco Agrees to New Deal With Ukraine’s Nuclear Energy Utility.


EMPLOYMENT. Young people want to work in genuinely clean industries.

ENERGY. Renewables In China Trend Upward While Nuclear Trends Flat. US announces first transfer of seized Russian assets to Kiev. Solar’s stunning journey from lab curiosity to global juggernaut wiping out fossil fuels.

ENVIRONMENT. Campaigners claim permit change at Hinkley Point would kill billions of fish. Fear for fish: EDF plan for Hinkley project means ‘enormous tragedy’ for ecosystem. Japan Plans to Dump Fukushima Wastewater Into a Pacific With a Toxic Nuclear History.

HEALTH. Health status of the population living in the zone of influence of radioactive waste repositories . Radioactive releases from the nuclear power sector and implications for child health. ‘Downwind’: How Did America Create Its Own Nuclear Disaster?

HUMAN RIGHTS. Emerging Environmental Justice Issues in Nuclear Power and Radioactive Contamination.

LEGAL. Neo-Nazi previously implicated in plot to attack nuclear plants now arrested for planning grid sabotage around Baltimore. U.S. Court of Appeals rejects New Mexico’s challenge to Nuclear Waste License . Greenpeace will sue the European Commission over its decision to include gas and nuclear as “clean”. Outline of Greenpeace’s legal arguments against including gas and nuclear in the EU Taxonomy.

MEDIA. Media ‘Spy Balloon’ Obsession a Gift to China Hawks.

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Highlands Against Nuclear Power (HANP).

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. Setting the Record Straight; Stuff You Should Know About Ukraine. Ballooning paranoia: The China threat hits the skies.   The United States and China Still Need to Talk About Nuclear Weapons.   China’s spy balloon can help deflate US nuclear tensions with Beijing.     
The US Department of Energy has made it

 easier to share nuclear information with Mexico and harder to do so for Colombia and Egypt.  EU’s Top Diplomat Says 

Iranian Deal Is Only Way to Stop Tehran’s Nuclear Program.

PROTESTS. No to US nukes in Britain: CND is returning to Lakenheath, 20 May 2023!

SAFETY. French minister confirms plans to extend nuclear lifetimes. Continuing with Akkuyu nuclear plant in seismic Turkey would be reckless. Fears of ‘catastrophic’ nuclear horror as Turkey’s reactor rocked by horror earthquake. Japan: Cabinet adopts policy of using nuclear reactors beyond 60-year limit. Incident. That time Northern California had a near nuclear accident.

SECRETS and LIES. Illegal organ market is a lucrative business in war-torn Ukraine.

SPINBUSTER. High-altitude surveillance — even balloons — is nothing new. So why the fuss?

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. Another sign of madness? – thermonuclear propulsion technology to power a rocket to Mars. 

WAR and CONFLICT. We’ve Never Been Closer to Nuclear Catastrophe—Who Gains by Ignoring It?Endgame is going on in Ukraine crisis. US defense official flags ‘no objections’ to Kiev attacking Crimea.Here’s eight reasons why the US has no interest in pushing for peace in Ukraine. Did Volodymyr Zelensky call for ‘preventive nuclear strikes’ against Russia? Not exactly. US role in Kiev’s artillery warfare identified – media. 

CNN video: NATO rehearses war with Russia in neighboring Estonia Dr. Helen Caldicott Says The World Is Closer To Nuclear Annihilation Than Ever Before. Would YOUR neighborhood be targeted in a nuclear attack? Official map shows the 2,000 locations across the US most at risk. 

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. Russia closes down the world’s largest nuclear-powered strategic submarine (they don’t say where the radioactive wastes go). U.S. Test Launches ICBM Into Pacific as Part of Nuclear ‘Deterrence Mission’ If Arms Control Collapses, US and Russian Strategic Nuclear Arsenals Could Double In Size. 

New Report Unpacks Dangers of Emerging Military Tech, From AI Nukes to Killer Robots. US takes another step toward gearing up nuclear plutonium weapons core factory. Much-hyped tanks for Ukraine are in short supply. Elon Musk’s SpaceX Cuts Support for Ukrainian Military but continues work for U.S. military. North Korea shows off largest-ever number of nuclear missiles at anniversary parade. Three years without one single on-site US nuclear weapons inspection at base for Northern Fleet ballistic missile submarines.

February 13, 2023 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

Hooray – Australia’s cultural cringe is over! We’re gonna be important, like Ukraine!

Bewdy, mate!

For a long time, we thought we wasn’t as good as other countries. I mean – we have to live near to all those yellow and brown people, who speak Asian languages and can’t even talk proper Strine (that’s Australian lingo)

But we have shown we was tough, – we wiped out heaps of blackfellas.

However, lately the blacks have got uppity, and so have the women. Hell, we even had a woman Prime Minister for a while. Things haven’t been real good for real blokes.

By the way, good to see the back of that Jacinda Adern, back in the bedroom and kitchen, where a woman belongs

Anyway, proper Australian blokes can hold their heads up high, now. Australia’s not frittering away its money on soppy stuff – education, health, welfare. Nah – we’re buying $171 billion of nuclear submarines, and lots of secret stuff for Pine Gap. And we’re welcoming American tough guys and their stuff to Northern Australia – and buying everything we can from our favourite shops – Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Thales, NorthropGrumman. (check this all out at The US is preparing Australia to fight its war against China)

Best of all – we’re learning something we’d forgotten during the namby-pamby decades – how to hate the Chinks.

And, thanks to our best mate the USA, we’re gonna run a war against China. USA will sell us all the weapons, and we’ll show that we can do the brave fighting. And Australia will at last really be BigTime.

Our Prime Minister will be adored by the Western world, and strut around the world in the limelight, just like Zelensky.

Though I’m not sure that P.M Anthony Albanese will be up to it. Bring back Scott Morrison, or better still, Peter Dutton.

February 9, 2023 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

Nuclear news this week – Australia and more

Some bits of good news. What went right this week: reviving Britain’s ‘lost’ rainforests, Europe embraced slow travel, and the UK’s green sector defied the economic gloom, plus more.Coronavirus. When will COVID stop being a global emergency?

Climate. How Ocean Heat Ends The Human Experiment.   An apology to my grandkids for not fighting in the war of our times.

Nuclear.  What can I say?  Nations. led by the gun-obsessed, belligerent, America – prepare for war, and spend $squillions on nuclear weapons. We all know that Ukraine is a tinder-box of nuclear reactors –   and yet the USA is busily organising for Westinghouse to build a fleet of nuclear reactors there –   because we all know, don’t we, that nuclear power is so safe?

AUSTRALIA.  

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ART and CULTURE. Twin threats to the Marshallese.

CLIMATE. Sea level rise will threaten UK coastal towns.   Climate hypocrisy: UAE oil company employees given roles in office hosting Cop28.

ECONOMICS. 

Top UK pension funds refuse to invest in Sizewell C nuclear plan, despite government enticements. Nuclear too expensive and not needed. 

Marketing. Death and Japan’s nuclear shelter salesman.      Ukraine planning for two $5 billion Westinghouse AP 1000 reactors, part of USA marketing a fleet of new nuclear reactors to Ukraine!       South Korea to sell 40 trilion won ($32.55 billion) nuclear power plant to Turkey. China marketing nuclear reactors to Pakistan.

EMPLOYMENT. French nuclear availability reduced by 1.1 GW as strike gets under way– EDF.

ENVIRONMENT. International group of scientists warns nuclear radiation has devastating impacts on ecosystems.

ETHICS and RELIGION. Roundtable: Making nuclear injustice an agenda for change.

HEALTH. Military probing link between nuclear silo work, cancers.

MEDIA. Why the western media is afraid of Julian Assange. The dark truths WikiLeaks revealed w/Stefania Maurizi | The Chris Hedges Report – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nbTlZRin78         Facebook Protects Nazis to Protect Ukraine Proxy War. Celebrities Protect The Interests Of The Empire– Caitlin Johnstone.

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR . Nuclear must not be part of Cromartry Firth freeport vision.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. 

African states meet in South Africa to discuss UN Nuclear Ban Treaty. Morocco committed to elimination of nuclear weapons – Envoy speaks at African seminar on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, in Pretoria.

The Last Existing U.S.-Russia Nuclear Treaty Could Soon Fail.  NATO recruits South Korea for war against Russia. 

Tulsi Gabbard on the Truth of President Zelensky – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A2Gmiya-Uk             Ukraine is sinking. Is the West about to bail out? West Blocked Ukraine Peace Deal, Says Former Israeli PM. 

US Surrounds China With War Machinery While Freaking Out About Balloons. China expresses dissatisfaction and protest over US shooting down civilian airship; US sets bad precedent.     US makes diplomatic move targeting China. China objects to more nuclear sub talks among UK, U.S, Australia. 

 France tries to label nuclear as “renewable” in push to the EU for nuclear-produced hydrogen. 

Iran and the West clash over IAEA report on Fordow nuclear plant. UK, France, Germany, USA urge Iran to meet all reporting obligations on its nuclear facilities. 

USA to set up 4 new military bases in the Philippines. 

RADIATION. Indian Point Expert Forum: Dr. Helen Caldicott –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M27YdJ3pbD4&t=165s         Australia radioactive capsule: Missing material more common than you think.

SAFETY. Blasts near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Takahama nuclear reactor in Fukui halted after alert goes off, Incompetence in the nuclear submarine industry. Belgium looks to extend lives of oldest nuclear reactors. France approves study on extending nuclear reactors’ life.

SECRETS and LIES. Taking up Hilda’s Torch: Robert Green’s account of his contribution to the 1988/9 Hinkley C Inquiry – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7lSnFdWxUY Iran says France should inform the world how Israel obtained nuclear arms.

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. There’s no planet B. NASA and DARPA are working on a nuclear-powered rocket that could go to Mars.

SPINBUSTER. NewsReal: Chinese Balloon: It’s All About The Optics – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM-4DieQHlE&t=100s

  TECHNOLOGY  . GE Hitachi group announce contract for grid-scale small nuclear reactor, requiring large taxpayer subsidy .   Scepticism on the enthusiastic claims about nuclear fusion.

WASTES. France: what to do as its nuclear waste site risks saturation point?

WAR and CONFLICT. Avoiding a Long War- the RAND corporation report. Chris Hedges: Ukraine: The War That Went Wrong. The Unwarranted Ukraine Proxy War: A Year Later. The logic behind the terror: Why does Ukraine keep attacking civilian areas in Donetsk? Victory or Valhalla: NATO troops in “huge war games” 80 miles from Russia.  Pentagon will allow Ukraine to fire long-range missiles at will.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. This Time It’s Different. A Costly and Prolonged Cold War Now Seems a Certainty. 324 Tanks, Now NATO Readies Warplanes and Entire Domestic Economies for Ukraine. Ukraine’s Tank Problem – a “game changer” – REALLY?. Target Crimea: U.S. to send Ukraine missiles with twice previous range . Budget cuts have left UK’s military’s stores bare: General says Britain would run out of ammo in a day if it fought Russia -Britain buying ammo from South Asia to support Ukraine.

February 6, 2023 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

Australian nuclear news – and more

Above – size of the highly radioactive capsule inexplicably mislaid, in Western Australia

Some bits of good news. What went right this week: ‘positive tipping points’. England got a new rewilding site.        Cancer Plummets, Guinea Worm Eradicated, Bye-Bye Ebola—3 Huge Wins for Humanity.

The polycrisis is upon us……. pandemic, global heating, nuclear fear, plastic and chemical pollution, biodiversity loss,  overpopulation, water shortage ….. all these are interrelated. As Alex Smith shows us, in Radio Ecoshock – this all might develop into a permacrisis. My own thought  is that it’s no wonder that many young people have  problems of anxiety and depression – in our culture focussed on individualism, money, and endless growth.

Nuclear. This newsletter is miles too long. But it’s a critical time- teetering on the brink of nuclear war. Tanks going into Ukraine – a futile symbol for Zelensky’s dream of conquering Russia, – while underneath it all, rumblings of a cease-fire deal between USA-NATO and Russia, before it all gets a lot worse.

Christina notes:  World War 3 danger – it’s getting so like pre World War 1 – can it get any worse? Nuclear toys for the boys. What fun!      Nuclear fusion – here’s where history, culture, and nuclear annihilation technology collide.

AUSTRALIA.   

Documents show no sign Albanese government lobbied the US to bring Julian Assange home.

CLIMATE. The first breach of 1.5°C will be a temporary but devastating failure. Absurd that we listen to those causing the climate crisis’ in Davos, says Greta Thunberg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU6vQXif5Xo  The ‘all-of-the-above’ story used to sneak nuclear power in as a climate-action technology along with renewables . Suffolk: Sizewell C nuclear ‘should not get licence’ due to coastal erosion.

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Julian Assange and the US government’s war on whistleblowers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOC-c0QdfEo . The Belmarsh Tribunals Demand Justice for Julian Assange. UK police powers increased, to shut down climate protests. UK govt to tighten anti-protest restrictions, despite criticism from human rights groups .

CULTURE. The dirty secret of US nuclear energy.

ECONOMICS. As the war rages on and military spending booms, the US arms industry is a big winner in Ukraine. 

Marketing: South Korea keen to market nuclear technology to United Arab Emirates, and missile technology, too. Poland’s energy company agrees to buy France’s NOT YET DESIGNED so-called “small” Nuward nuclear reactor! 

The British government’s Regulated Asset Base – the test case for reviving its nuclear power dream. “Great British Nuclear “- it’s high time that they came clean on what this will cost. 

As SMR developer X-energy moves to go public, merger partner Ares cautions investors about risks of small nuclear reactors.   David Schlissel: Small modular reactor project likely to end badly for Utah utilities.

EMPLOYMENT. The French nuclear sector up against the wall in terms of recruitment.

ENERGY. Germany aims for faster expansion of wind energy, not nuclear.  Prolonged outages of France’s nuclear reactors.  Renewable energy is the only credible path forward -António Guterres.  Four separate reports show that the UK could save over €120 bn by 2050 by switching to a renewable energy strategy.

ENVIRONMENT. Campaigners fear changes at Hinkley Point C ‘could kill millions of fish every day’. Japan’s Plan To Discharge Water From Fukushima Nuclear Plant Faces Pacific Opposition

HEALTH. Julian Assange’s Biggest Fight in Notorious Prison Isn’t Over Extradition.     The WHO is urging countries to start stockpiling medicines for ‘nuclear emergencies’ after the EU’s latest warning on Ukraine war. WHO updates critical medicines list for radiological and nuclear emergencies.         Investigation underway after nine nuclear missileers develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Nuclear strike chief seeks cancer review of launch officers.

 LEGAL. Fukushima: court upholds acquittals of three Tepco executives over disaster.       UK High Court to hear challenge against plans for Sizewell C nuclear station.            The Ohio nuclear scandal: Davis-Besse and Perry power plants in northern Ohio couldn’t cover costs, let alone make a profit.            Appeals Court Tosses Suit from Environmentalists, Midland Oil Company Contesting Nuclear Waste Storage Permit.

MEDIA. New documentary film ‘Downwind’ explores why testing, using nuclear weapons makes deadly mistakes .

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Nuclear Fusion Won’t Save the Climate But It Might Blow Up the World. The Nuclear Fallacy: Why Small Modular Reactors Can’t Compete With Renewable Energy.    U.S. approves design for NuScale small modular nuclear reactor, but significant problems remain.

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Demonstrators gather in Hamburg against threat of nuclear confrontation in Ukraine.

PERSONAL STORIES. ‘The day the desert wind cried‘: French nuclear tests cast long shadow in Libyan Sahara.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. The Problem With Primacy – America’s Dangerous Quest to Dominate the Pacific. “Chinese Aggression” Sure Looks An Awful Lot Like US Aggression. Can Talks with China about Nuclear Weapons Be Constructive? 

USA tries to prevent a Russian offensive in Ukraine by offering a sort of war endgame deal to Russia. Diplomatic Cables Show Russia Saw NATO Expansion as a Red Line. WikiLeaks cables reveal NATO intended to cross all Russian red lines. 

Pacific islands urge Japan to delay release of nuclear plant waste water. France promises to speed up handover of colonial archives and clean up nuclear test sites in Algeria.

SAFETY. 

SECRETS and LIES. In Just Under Three Weeks, Ukrainian-Fired Prohibited “Petal” Mines Maim At Least 44 Civilians, Kill 2, in Donetsk Region.    Man arrested on suspicion of terror offences after uranium found at Heathrow.

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. Geopolitics’ New Frontier in Space. NATO activating space war center in France. New NASA Nuclear Rocket Plan Aims to Get to Mars in Just 45 Days. Nuclear-powered rockets to Mars – there are serious safety risks. NASA partners with the military to test nuclear fission-powered spacecraft engine by 2027.

SPINBUSTER. A bit of panic in the UK small nuclear reactor lobby?

TECHNOLOGY. Canadian MP Charlie Angus Questions the Claims of SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7nR4P39ALo.   

WASTES.  Don’t dump on us. China urges Japan to safely dispose of nuclear-contaminated water.          France’s nuclear waste agency applies to create a long-term underground storage in Eastern France. France issues a 10,000-page dossier to convince people of the safety of the Cigeo nuclear waste site.              US sweetens pot to study siting for spent nuclear fuel. Diluted plutonium disposed of at Carlsbad nuclear waste site as program draws controversy. Many years for removal and disposal of radioactive waste from historic subterranean vaults at Berkeley nuclear power station.

WAR and CONFLICT.  

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. SCOTT RITTER: The Nightmare of NATO Equipment Being Sent to Ukraine. CNN: Ukraine Has Become a ‘Weapons Lab’ for Western Arms . Ukraine Narrative Fraying, But Weapons Will Continue To Flow. AP: NATO powers, Ukraine in “fast-track” talks for long-range missiles, warplanes . Ukraine war boon/boondoggle for U.S. arms makers, Pentagon’s warfighting capabilities.  

 Biden to send 31 Abrams tanks, Germany 14 Leopards for war in Ukraine — . Germany Says US Must Lead Way On Tanks For Ukraine, As Republican Party Also Piles On Pressure . Ukraine: Germany spearheads delivery of 90 tanks from NATO allies, partners .    Finnish arms to Turkey in NATO quid pro quo, tanks to Ukraine next.    Ukraine intensifies pressure on Georgia to enter war: ruling party leader .  German foreign minister: “We are fighting a war against Russia” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCJUf5d6UfE

Nuclear Notebook: United States nuclear weapons, 2023.  Pentagon can’t account for $220 billion in govt property, fails fifth audit. It comes down to weapons.

Plutonium Pit Bomb Plans Excoriated by General Accounting Office.

 Cost Estimate for Plutonium Pit Project at Savannah River Site Hits $16.5 Billion, $5 Billion above Current Estimate . 

US Installs New Nukes in Europe: As Destructive as 83 Hiroshima Bombs. 

The US has a new nuclear proliferation problem: South Korea. The Disastrous Downsides of South Korea Building Nuclear Weapons. 

January 30, 2023 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

This week in nuclear news

Some bits of good news. Eight things that went right this week, including big energy and health wins. Once Biologically Dead, the River Mersey in England is “Best Environmental Story in Europe”.

Pandemic. The world needs a COP-like process for pandemic preparedness

Climate.  A few pieces of good news on climate change (and a reality check)

Nuclear.  Am I the only one who thinks that it’s a bit bizarre to see the World Nuclear News bragging about new nuclear reactors going ahead in Ukraine –     just as the IAEA staff are tearing their hair out about the dangers of nuclear reactors in Ukraine?

AUSTRALIA. Greens Senator Barbara Pocock ‘s reminder that the Kimba nuclear waste storage has no longterm plan for removal of that waste to permanent disposal. Media keeps mum about earthquake near planned nuclear waste dump. 

Nuclear submarines deal an exercise in futility and should be sunk. Nuclear submarines are not going to have ‘any effect’ at all. Australia to become major hub for US submarines, [and target?].      Push in US Congress to exempt Australia from International Traffic in Arms Regulations, so that it can import nuclear submarines. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a good step towards a nuclear-free world.

Christina notes: Nuclear toys for the boys. What fun! To ramp up militarism, (and the USA weapons corporations) the US Congress might decide to dump Regulations on Traffic in Nuclear Weapons.

CLIMATE. The first breach of 1.5°C will be a temporary but devastating failure. Absurd that we listen to those causing the climate crisis’ in Davos, says Greta Thunberg. The ‘all-of-the-above’ story used to sneak nuclear power in as a climate-action technology along with renewables . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU6vQXif5Xo Suffolk: Sizewell C nuclear ‘should not get licence’ due to coastal erosion.

CIVIL LIBERTIES. UK police powers increased, to shut down climate protests. UK govt to tighten anti-protest restrictions, despite criticism from human rights groups .

ECONOMICS. As the war rages on and military spending booms, the US arms industry is a big winner in Ukraine.    Marketing: South Korea keen to market nuclear technology to United Arab Emirates, and missile technology, too. Poland’s energy company agrees to buy France’s NOT YET DESIGNED so-called “small” Nuward nuclear reactor!  

The British government’s Regulated Asset Base – the test case for reviving its nuclear power dream. “Great British Nuclear “- it’s high time that they came clean on what this will cost.       David Schlissel: Small modular reactor project likely to end badly for Utah utilities.

EMPLOYMENT. The French nuclear sector up against the wall in terms of recruitment.

ENERGY. Germany aims for faster expansion of wind energy, not nuclear. Prolonged outages of France’s nuclear reactors. Renewable energy is the only credible path forward -António Guterres. Four separate reports show that the UK could save over €120 bn by 2050 by switching to a renewable energy strategy.

HEALTH. Investigation underway after nine nuclear missileers develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

LEGAL. Fukushima: court upholds acquittals of three Tepco executives over disaster. UK High Court to hear challenge against plans for Sizewell C nuclear station

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. The Nuclear Fallacy: Why Small Modular Reactors Can’t Compete With Renewable Energy. U.S. approves design for NuScale small modular nuclear reactor, but significant problems remain.

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Demonstrators gather in Hamburg against threat of nuclear confrontation in Ukraine.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. The Problem With Primacy – America’s Dangerous Quest to Dominate the Pacific.     Diplomatic Cables Show Russia Saw NATO Expansion as a Red Line. Pacific islands urge Japan to delay release of nuclear plant waste water.

SAFETY.

SECRETS and LIES. Man arrested on suspicion of terror offences after uranium found at Heathrow.

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. NATO activating space war center in France. New NASA Nuclear Rocket Plan Aims to Get to Mars in Just 45 Days

SPINBUSTER. A bit of panic in the UK small nuclear reactor lobby?

TECHNOLOGY. Canadian MP Charlie Angus Questions the Claims of SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7nR4P39ALo

WASTES. 

      WAR and CONFLICT. US may assist Ukrainian strikes on Crimea – NYT.       Ukraine: Is the Hammer About to Fall?.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. CNN: Ukraine Has Become a ‘Weapons Lab’ for Western Arms . Ukraine Narrative Fraying, But Weapons Will Continue To Flow. Ukraine war boon/boondoggle for U.S. arms makers, Pentagon’s warfighting capabilities.        Germany Says US Must Lead Way On Tanks For Ukraine, As Republican Party Also Piles On Pressure         Nuclear Notebook: United States nuclear weapons, 2023.

 Plutonium Pit Bomb Plans Excoriated by General Accounting Office.  Pentagon can’t account for $220 billion in govt property, fails fifth audit. US Installs New Nukes in Europe: As Destructive as 83 Hiroshima Bombs.    

The US has a new nuclear proliferation problem: South Korea. The Disastrous Downsides of South Korea Building Nuclear Weapons. It comes down to weapons.

January 24, 2023 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

Nuclear (and climate) news to 16 January

Some bits of good news.  Here are all the positive environmental stories from 2023 so far.  How the world fixed the ozone layer. The hole over the pole will be closed by 2066.

Coronavirus. Covid cases in China touch 900 million – study.

Climate. Look –  this whole issue is mind-boggling. Glaciers are melting fast. It’s probable that the cleanup of atmospheric pollution by China and others will, for a while, contribute to global heating. I recommend that everyone follow RADIO ECOSHOCK. It’s the best place for getting the most up-to-date and thorough analyses of what is going on with our heating planet.

Nuclear. This week, I’m a bit overwhelmed with the climate stuff – actually more terrible than nuclear. But hey!  the big tennis is on in my country  – so nobody seems to care. (Except perhaps the flooded-out people).  Christina’s notes. NO – Sir Keir Starmer – nuclear power is NOT clean. Strange and contradictory messages from the global nuclear authority IAEA.

AUSTRALIA. Brian Toohey -on Australia’s new arms race. Australia’s ‘optimal pathway’ on AUKUS. Australia’s nuclear submarine plan – a source of disagreement in US Congress.  Population growth is not a good thing: it’s a bad thing. Mining lobby tricks government with its big taxpayer fairytale.

        ……………………………………………….

CIVIL LIBERTIES.  Julian Assange denied permission to attend Vivienne Westwood funeral

CLIMATE. Europe recorded its hottest ever summer in 2022. Worlds oceans were the hottest ever recorded in 2022. Extreme weather is pushing more people to flee their homes.

DECOMMISSIONING REACTORS. Lithuania deal to dismantle Soviet-era nuclear reactors could be world first.

ECONOMICS.

Small nuclear reactors:  Eye-popping new cost estimates released for NuScale small modular reactor. The PG and E plan to sell non-nuclear generation assets could improperly increase rates, groups tell FERC. UK should not be building Sizewell C, and rollout of small nuclear reactors will be a nightmare – energy boss. Uncertainty over government funding for Rolls Royce’s small nuclear reactors . 

The Delusion of Infinite Economic Growth. Slew of companies keeping watch on DOE nuclear cleanup work for small biz. Team Korea to bolster exports of nuclear energy systems.

EMPLOYMENT. The renewable energy transition is creating a green jobs boom.

HEALTH. An unacceptable risk to children.

LEGAL. Pacific states entitled to claims against Japan for discharge of radioactive nuclear wastewater.

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Shouldn’t a new and experimental reactor deserve a federal impact assessment? Adam Tooze: Why Nuclear Fusion Is Not the Holy Grail. How close are we to developing commercial nuclear fusion reactors? The problem with nuclear energy advocates. Japan and USA to develop small nuclear reactors “within each country and third countries.”

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Scottish campaign groups hit back over claims nuclear power is cheaper and more reliable. Significant environmental victory for Savannah River Site Watch in stopping import of high level nuclear waste from Germany.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. 

SAFETY. Deal on safe zone for Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant getting harder -IAEA. IAEA plans “continuous presence” at all Ukraine nuclear power plants “to help prevent a nuclear accident” amid Russia’s war . Irish Republic monitoring nuclear risk as a consequence of fighting in Ukraine. Nuclear convoys: 40 safety reports in three years. Terror police investigate after uranium found in package at Heathrow airport. Georgia’s Vogtle nuclear plant startup delayed due to vibrating pipe.

SPACE.  Space junk cowboys are ruining our night sky.

WASTES. 

WAR and CONFLICT.The Ukraine War Should Alert Us to The Need to Ban Nuclear Weapons. Ukraine on ‘NATO mission’ – defense minister. NATO to train hundreds of Ukrainian troops in US and Germany, in operating Patriot missile system . Ukraine legalizes foreigners in AZOV neo-Nazi regiment. Gordon M. Hahn: The West has been reckless with Vladimir Putin . Britain sending first NATO nation tanks to Ukraine .

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. 

January 16, 2023 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

This week, in Australian and other nuclear news

A bit of good news. Quitea shortage of good news this week. I’m reduced to falling back on stories of individual goodness. Well, why not?  Individuals in their millions are doing kind things every day – that just doesn’t get into the news media. The Top 10 Acts of Kindness in 2022 Warmed Our Hearts and Restored Our Faith in Strangers and Neighbors.

Coronavirus.  Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19

Climate.  Climate change could cause ‘disaster’ in the world’s oceans.

Nuclear. Not much happening, except hype for small nuclear reactors. Australia’s nuclear submarines project is beginning to sound less like a goer, and more like something of a 171$billion ego-trip by former PM Scott Morrison, in a bid to look important on the world stage

Christina’s notes: They’re at it again! The nuclear industry dazzles journalists with its newest hogwash – “inflection point”.         Corporate media focusses on ‘new’ nuclear solutions. Are they stupid? Or is it just what they’re paid to write?

AUSTRALIA.  

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CIVIL LIBERTIES. Guilty of Journalism. Key US Allies Collaborate On Espionage Laws Considered Harmful To Whistleblowers And Journalists.

CLIMATE.  Coal 2 Nuclear: From the fossil fuel frying pan into the fission fire.   Under present conditions, a huge loss of the planet’s glaciers will happen in the next 30 years. Writers protest against UK’s imprisonment of climate activists. 


ECONOMICS  

ENERGY. Analysis Shows U.S. Wind and Solar Could Outpace Coal and Nuclear Power in 2023.    European Energy Crisis: France Close to Electricity Rationing Over Problems with Local Nuclear Plants.  The Future Remains Uncertain For Nuclear Energy.   Nuclear is not the answer to the UK’s energy requirements, and honesty about Sizewell is needed.  Solar power innovation by two British local councils. Great Britain produced a record amount of wind-powered electricity in 2022. 

ENVIRONMENT. Namibia orders Russian uranium exploration to stop due to environmental concerns.

HEALTH. Electromagnetic radiation – cellphones as a health hazard.  Ionising radiation. Return to studying baby teeth for radioactivity from nuclear weapons and nuclear facilities.

HISTORY. It’s all about the bomb: why civilian nuclear power is merely a cover for producing more nuclear weapons. Why Did Portland General Electric Want to Build Trojan Nuclear Plant in the First Place?

LEGAL. John LaForge Set to Be First US Activist Jailed in Germany for Anti-Nuke Protests. Take Japan to court for nuclear water dumping.

MEDIA. Under Musk, Twitter Continues to Promote US Propaganda Networks. Zelensky Expands Crackdown on Ukrainian Media. Media Silent as Latest Twitter Files Expose Flagrant Misconduct in Govt. & Journalism.

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY.  

PERSONAL STORIES.. Beatrice Fihn – a decade fighting to ban nuclear weapons. This man saved the world from nuclear war. His story is a heart-pumper.

POLITICS. German minister reignites coalition row with call to review nuclear exit.

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. US and South Korea hold talks on “nuclear sharing”. South Korea asks US for greater role in managing nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons and the resistance to reality.  U.S. President Biden contradicts South Korea’s President‘s claim that the two countries are planning joint nuclear exercises.   

 Pakistan supplies India with a list of its nuclear facilities.  US Says ‘All Options’ On Table As Iran Nuclear Talks Remain Deadlocked.

SAFETY. 

SECRETS and LIES.   

SPINBUSTER. Countering nuclear industry propaganda by telling the facts – Joshua Frank’s book “Atomic Days”.      Workington under siege from new nuclear plans.

WASTES. 

WAR and CONFLICT. Before the Bombs Come the Platitudes. Cold War estimates of deaths in nuclear conflict. A Secret War in the Making: Americans Should Not Die to Defend Taiwan. 

Number of civilians killed in Donbass revealed. Ukraine – The Big Push To End The War. CODEPINK calls on Zelensky, Biden and Congress to seize this chance for peace in Ukraine. Donetsk shelled in first minute of Christmas truce .  Los Alamos National Laboratory’s record $4.6B budget will still mostly fund nuclear weapons. 


WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. Pentagon pressures NATO allies to boost arms flow to Ukraine. Defensive and offensive operations: “tank-killers” part of new U.S. $45b arms package to Ukraine

North Korea to have “exponential increase” in its nuclear arsenal. Raytheon sells long-range missiles to Romania for war in Black Sea 

January 9, 2023 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

Nuclear news Australia and overseas – to 2nd January

Some bits of good news.      What went right in 2022: the top 25 good news stories of the year  – Climate action – Return of threatened species –   The rights of nature were strengthened  – Land was returned to nature – and indigenous people – and more.

Coronavirus. Three years since coronavirus was detected in China, and how it changed the world.

Climate.  Environmental review of 2022: another mile on the ‘highway to climate hell’.

Nuclear.  In reality – not much is happening. The corporate media is still banging on about nuclear fusion ,  a complete distraction from anything that is really happening in energy and climate issues. In fact, the most interesting thing that is happening is the Europe-wide cutting down on energy use – “demand reduction” – the most unsexy but effective way to address global heating.  The other thing that the corporate media is banging on about is –   small nuclear reactors (SMRs). They faithfully regurgitate nuclear industry handouts – even though these SMRs actually don’t exist, and investors hold back – waiting for governments to pour even more tax-payer money into SMRs.

However, lurking all the time, is the risk of nuclear accident, especially in Ukraine.  And as USA and NATO promise more advanced weapons for the Ukrainians, and Putin flexes his “unrivalled” nuclear-powered missile cruisers, the world could be now teetering on the brink of nuclear war.

AUSTRALIA.

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CLIMATE. Growing climate, nuclear risks spark doomsday fears. Growing urgency and intensity — Weather extremes won’t be solved by nuclear power.

CULTURE and ART. MIND OF THE MACHINE Chilling AI predicts what nuclear war would look like with attacks on London, Moscow and Washington .

ECONOMICS. How did the US nuclear industry fare in 2022?

ENERGY. As France’s nuclear energy sector falters, Britain’s wind and solar power booms. France’s nuclear headache – Macron on the brink of rationing electricity. Europe shows how to cut demand for energy use.

ENVIRONMENT. Hot water — radiation in drinking water.

MEDIA. US spies pushed Twitter to censor ‘anti-Ukraine narratives’ – media.

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Nuclear Fusion:  Don’t Believe the Hype!. Small modular reactors will not save the day. The US can get to 100% clean power without new nuclear. Japan’s Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing project delayed again – for the 26th time.

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Civil society groups urge feds to ban reprocessing used nuclear fuel. No new nuclear weapons in Europe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgfckOtqWb8

POLITICS. Canada’s first new nuclear power reactor in 30 years has embarked on a crucial review. Can it pass quickly?

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. The 2022 nuclear year in review: A global nuclear order in shambles.     Tucker “Gets It” – Putin Doesn’t Want American Missiles on His Border.  Ukraine became de facto member of NATO in 2022: DM .     What the Pentagon Doesn’t Want You to Know About China.  Europe’s nuclear industry heavily dependent on Russian fuel and technology – no sanctions there.

RADIATION. Marie Curie’s Belongings Will Be Radioactive For Another 1,500 Years.

SAFETY. German residents told to prepare for nuclear emergencies.

SECRETS and LIES. This Year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners are deeply connected to the CIA. Every social media firm censors for US government – Musk.

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. Military satellites add to Earth’s orbit, which is already crowded with satellites.

SPINBUSTER. Calling nuclear fusion a potential ‘climate solution’ may undermine actual solutions.

WASTES. In the Pacific, Outcry Over Japan’s Plan to Release FukushimaWastewater.

WAR and CONFLICT. 3,000 civilians dead in Mariupol – Russian officials investigating – and claim that Ukrainian troops are responsible.        Germany assumes command of NATO’s 12,000-troop strike force EU.               Britain to train 15,000 Ukrainian “warfighters” in Lithuania.                100,000 U.S. troops, 20,000 new, to stay in Europe, train Ukrainian counterparts . Historic Golden Rule Peace Boat On Its Way to Cuba.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. More weapons to Ukraine “to bring peace” – says NATO chief. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2_ktxVQooQ                 Under pressure from Washington, Japan rearms.             Increasing kill chain speed: Pentagon augments HIMARS for Ukraine, Latvia, Taiwan .             North Korea says it will boost nuclear warhead production ‘exponentially‘, as another missile fired.            Russia Adds ‘Unrivaled’ Nuclear-Powered Missile Cruisers To Its Arsenal; Putin Says Has No Analogs In The World.

January 2, 2023 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

Christmas week – nuclear news in Australia and beyond

It’s that time of year, and I hope that you all did have a really lovely time, despite the madness of the festive season  – and will continue to survive and enjoy the rest of it. And on to a good 2023, one can only hope.

Roberto Prusso’sCopy of painting by PreRaphaelite artist Frederick Sandys

I feel that I should change my name from Christina to Cassandra. Not that I’m a princess, nor  look like her!   And indeed, I’m not as unlucky as Cassandra, in that nobody believed her warnings.   Many do now realise the perils that the world is in.  But still, for 2023,  there’s a prevailing complacency about pandemics. climate change, the “progress” of the Ukraine war, and about nuclear reactors and weapons .

Some readers have complained that this newsletter is too long. (Well, sorry – it’s hard to prune it, and anyway, I hope that you just pick out the topics that interest you).  I put outstanding stories in larger green text.

Recently there have been two remarkable articles that absolutely stood out  – stuff that people really need to know.

This one –  Dismantling Sellafield: the epic task of shutting down a nuclear site – this one is must.  If anyone ever tells you that nuclear waste is “manageable” – this article would enlighten them.

The other article has a much more subtle tone. It’s about small nuclear reactors (SMRs). You could read it even as being in favour of SMRs.  It is enlightening as it rather quietly suggests all the problems about SMR development. It touches ever so lightly on the nuclear weapons connection –  “security” is the codeword for the military aspect.  And even more interesting, it shows the mindset of the corporate leaders and politicians who are pushing for SMRs. The article is Building promises of small modular reactors—one conference at a time.

Meanwhile, over the past week –   2 things stand out.  Both of them illustrate the gullibility, the lack of imagination, or the sheer subservience of the corporate press.

1,  the fawning of the USA Congress, and the West in general – over the visit of  Volodymyr Zelenskyy  to get more weapons. 

2. the euphoria over a tiny, and hugely expensive, experiment in nuclear fusion.

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Herewith – the dreary old real newsletter. (things don’t stop happening for Christmas, Hannukkah …….)

AUSTRALIA. The nuclear lobby is revving up its campaign, with submissions to the Senate to remove legal bans on nuclear activities. Australia has a new nuclear lobby front group “REPLANET Australia” . Fake, dishonest ‘Australian Greens for Nuclear Energy’ group. Mining lobby tricks government with its big taxpayer fairytale.

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CLIMATE. Greenland’s glaciers are melting 100 times faster than estimated.

ECONOMICS. Bank of America, investors, thrilled and delighted with the nuclear arms race. National Guard informs troops last paycheck before Christmas will be late as Biden admin sends $billions to Ukraine. Zelensky’s diaspora delegation led by economic hit-woman who led plunder of Ukraine. The Ukraine Arms Drain.           Never mind about sanctions – Russia’s export of nuclear products and services is soaring.

EDUCATION. Propaganda drive: Nuclear Power 2.0 Eyes Opportunity, Steep Climb in Coal Country.

ENERGY. UK tipped to export even more energy to France despite blackout fears. Sunak’s wrongheaded renewables tax risks trashing Britain’s wind and solar ambitions..

ENVIRONMENT. 

ETHICS and RELIGION. U.S. Faith Leaders Call for Xmas Truce in Ukraine as Zelensky Visits D.C. Seeking More Arms & Money.

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. 

OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR.  In protecting the biosphere from plutonium and other wastes, the first step is to stop producing them.

POLITICS.

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. 

SAFETY. In a blow to France’s electricity supply, EDF extends maintenance at nuclear reactors.

SECRETS and LIES. Atomic Bomb Effects Cover-up Reported in New York Times. Dishonesty: British authorities knew it was wrong to proceed with the thermal oxide reprocessing plant (Thorp) at Sellafield.

SPINBUSTER. Despite the hype, we shouldn’t bank on nuclear fusion to save the world from climate catastrophe. Media hype about nuclear fusion is designed to make research on thermonuclear weapons look acceptable. 

The Claim That The Ukraine War Advances US Interests Discredits The Claim That It’s “Unprovoked”. Why all the hysteria over not clapping for Zelensky?

WASTES   America’s complicated problem of disposing of tons of plutonium bomb cores, as the government to spend $1.7 billion on more plutonium bomb cores. Getting rid of plutonium pits — so many questions. Trawsfynydd as a nuclear waste dump? Campaign groups want answers on increase in radioactive particles found on Dounreay foreshore. Exposing the dishonest spiel that nuclear waste is “manageable”.

WAR and CONFLICT. Feverishly Racing Toward Our Own Destruction.            Kremlin: “US & Russia On The Brink Of A Direct Clash” In Ukraine. While others are preparing for their holidays, NATO is preparing for war in Black Sea Ukraine: * Congress as War Prop * Christmas Truce  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd-RvfQfUJI It’s worse than they’re telling you in Ukraine – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLh0KYZB9qM&t=249s

“Eva Bartlett: Western Silence As Ukraine Targets Civilians in Donbass” — In Gaza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETpa-W0lJMc

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. U.S, €100b European next-generation warplanes to carry U.S. nuclear warheads. Fusion Energy: the Nuclear Weapons Connection. Over 500 U.S. military personnel have sought Washington’s okay to work for foreign governments: case of Azerbaijan.

December 27, 2022 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

Australian and other Nuclear news for the end of December

Some bits of good news – COP15: Biodiversity experts share 6 reasons why our environment is not yet doomed.  Your Good News round-up: swear words can make you more resistant to pain, and more…Coronavirus.Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Weekly Epidemiological Update.

Climate. Computer modelling predicts climate change causing cascading animal ‘co-extinctions‘.   Climate change can be beaten – why some scientists are hopeful.

Nuclear. This week, it’s all about fusion ( process in which  2 nuclei merge to one nucleus releasing energy, as against fission, in which the nucleus of an atom splits into 2 nuclei).   Literally hundreds of articles extolling an experiment in which, at enormous expense,  a tiny amount of “net” energy was produced for a fraction of a second. Still a few articles that pour cold water on all this euphoria.

It’s that time of year when in mainly- Christian countries everyone goes a bit silly, madly exchanging gifts and socialising. Serious stuff sort of stops for a bit, which is rather nice, really, (though the nuclear lobby never stops)

Anyway, may we all enjoy the good aspects, have a care for the many who are suffering, and look forward to renewed efforts for decency and care in the New Year 

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CHRISTINA’s SHORT THOUGHTS.   The media – dishonest – or just sloppy and incompetent ?– nuclear fusion coverage as a case in point.    Toad’s new fad– nuclear fusion.

  AUSTRALIA -All about buying weapons. Dumb Ways to Buy: Defence “shambles” unveiled – former submariner and senator Rex Patrick.     Nuclear fusion ambitions in Australia from a coalition of technology companies – a dodgy dream?        The revolving door: Kim Beazley, former WA governor, ex Labor defence minister moves quickly on to a Defence industry board .       Australia’s defence industry and Minister Richard Marles dazzled by (useless) B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber.       The War Memorial plays along with Lockheed Martin.

ECONOMICS. Paul Dorfman: Nuclear power is just a slow and expensive distraction.    Nuclear blow for EDF, the Flamanville EPR delayed again by six months.    Costs of France’s Flamanville nuclear reactor blow out to over $14 billion as project delayed again.

EDUCATION. Military Groomers Are Increasingly Infiltrating US High Schools.

ENERGY. France wants to cut its electricity exports to UK as its aging nuclear reactors are limited, with maintenance issues.               Opinion is split on UK government plan for new nuclear and hydrogen projects.         Point Lepreau nuclear plant taken offline after power loss.

MEDIA. A new book investigates the toxic legacy of Hanford, the Washington state facility that produced plutonium for nuclear weapons.        ‘We are all downwinders’: New film discusses Nevada’s nuclear fallout.       Media enthuses over “sexy”high tech nuclear energy, but ignores the really effective one – energy saving.

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. It’s all about fusion.  Exaggerated fusion breakthrough is for military purposes. Fusion. Really?  Fusion “breakthrough” is largely irrelevant to the climate crisis .  Clean energy or weapons ? What the ‘breakthrough’ in nuclear fusion really means. The energy from the nuclear fusion experiment was a tiny fraction of the energy put into the experiment. Very significant barriers to further progress on nuclear fusion .   Fusion breakthrough thrills physicists, but won’t power your home soon.    Researchers claim a breakthrough in nuclear fusion, but that does not mean fusion as an energy force any time soon.        Nuclear fusion – if it eventually works – will require many hundreds of millions of dollars.        ‘Bottling the Sun’: is this a new dawn for the fusion industry? (actually – no!). 

Mini nuclear reactor firms battle it out in UK for approval and government support . Bill Gates-backed nuclear demonstration project in Wyoming delayed because Russia was the only fuel source.

POLITICS. Can France rely on its nuclear fleet for a low-carbon 2050? New Delay, Cost Overrun For France’s Next-gen Nuclear Plant.   UK government ‘s announcement was NOT yet a funding decision for Sizewell C nuclear, just an exclusion of China from the project .

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. A Tale of Two Nuclear Plants Reveals Europe’s Energy Divide.   Hungary’s risky bet on Russia’s nuclear power.        For the Western leaders, Minsk Agreements were designed to buy time for Ukrainians to get ready for conflict with Russia.       German states oppose construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant.        US prolongs Russia-Ukraine conflict for three aims, aggravates nuclear war risk: experts at GT annual forum.

PUBLIC OPINION. Twice as many people support onshore wind compared to nuclear poweraccording to UK Government survey.

SAFETY. Safety of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant hangs in the balance. Russia building giant dome over Europe’s largest nuclear plant’s spent fuel stores, to shield them from Ukrainian attacks.    Russia installs shield over Zaporizhzhia nuclear storage site.    Ukraine Crisis Highlights Security Needs Of Civilian Nuclear Power.    Ineos: Ine-Not a safe location for any nuclear reactor, say Scottish Nuclear Free Local Authorities. Japanese Power Plants Less Than 40 Years Old Are Experiencing Problems. 

Incident. US Nuclear Bomber Erupts In Flames After Emergency Landing; US Air Force Confirms Mishap With B-2 Spirit.

SECRETS and LIES. The SECOND U.S. suburban husband indicted for smuggling nuclear weapon tech to Russia  . Coal Mine Boss Should be Sacked from Position as Government’s Nuclear Dump Advisor

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. For Heaven’s Sake – Examining the UK’s Militarisation of Space.

SPINBUSTER. “FUSION NET GAIN” is manufactured ignorance. What’s all the fuss about fusion?  – a breakthrough, and if so, for whom? It’s All About the Bomb.: civilian nuclear power is merely a cover for producing more nuclear weapons.

WASTES. Dismantling Sellafield: the epic task of shutting down a nuclear site. Alliance of Pacific organisations condemn Japan’s decision to discharge nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. At the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant new areas begin to be filled with radioactive debris.

WAR and CONFLICT. INTERVIEW: Ukraine has lost the war, it just isn’t over yet, says Col. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdshHJW3PMU             Kiev’s Worst Attack Against Donetsk In Eight Years Is A Desperate Attempt To Save Face. The folly of the proxy war in Ukraine and how the military-industrial-complex has become the enemy from within. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b079rbpYIzUU.S. troops deployed near Russian border. 

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. US to send Patriot air defence system to Ukraine: CNN Weapons delivered to Ukraine ‘beginning to filter’ to Africa: Nigeria. UN committee adopts Russian draft resolution on prevention of arms race in space. Remilitarized Japan doubles war spending to meet NATO standards, confront Russia, China .

WOMEN. Mothering a Movement: Notes from India’s Longest Anti-Nuclear Struggle.

December 19, 2022 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

Nuclear news – Australia and more – week to 13 December

A bit of good news – Once devastated Pacific reefs see amazing recovery.

Coronavirus.  COVID is running rampant in China and its hospitals are overwhelmed.  Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Weekly Epidemiological Update

Climate.          Climate Honesty – Ending Climate Brightsiding, ( but also including revolutionary technology – mirrors to reflect the sun’s energy back into space).   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw85K7MjwYk Climate change could force 1.2 billion to move by 2050. Is the world even remotely ready?

Nuclear.  Is the West playing some sort of Russian roulette with the war in Ukraine?   Supplying Zelensky with long range missiles, that Ukraine is now using to target sites within Russia –    this amounts to some sick sort of game of chicken.   How far can we push Putin into using even more devastating methods against Ukraine?   Of course nobody’s going to use “tactical” supposedly sorta “little”” nuclear weapons, are they? 

Do the men who run the world ever consider the psychology of the macho military men who are mad keen to use the most powerful weapons?  So much easier and quicker to make such a decision , compared with the dreary task of negotiating an end to the horror, an end which would mean conceding to some of Russia’s not unrealistic demands.  Meanwhile Zelensky and co are being bolstered with all sorts of honours and acclaim – encouraged to continue in their ultranationalistic  and probaly suicidal dream of complete victory over Russia.

AUSTRALIA.  

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Biden faces growing pressure to drop charges against Julian Assange.

ECONOMICS. Another dodgy Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) set up to promote small nuclear reactors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAJTkL99anI&t=22s

EDUCATION. Nuclear lobby continues to capture universities. 

ENERGY.  Every home and community could be a power station’: the Nuclear Free Local Authorities’s future renewable energy vision for Wales. How to scale rooftop community solar in cities, UK policy changes: windfalls and renewables.

ENVIRONMENT. ‘Humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction‘. Past time for action — France should clean up atomic mess in Algeria. Commitments to nuclear HS2 and Sizewell C undermine UK Government promises on climate.

HEALTH.

LEGAL. Revealing He Too Had Manning Leaks, Ellsberg Dares Justice Dept to Prosecute Him Like Assange. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nHA0zhYma8

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. ‘New’ Nuclear Reactors Will Make Us a Guinea Pig Nation. Will small modular reactors seed a nuclear renaissance? THE ROBOTS OF FUKUSHIMA: GOING WHERE NO HUMAN HAS GONE BEFORE (AND LIVED).

OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR. Ineos Grangemouth refinery: Anti-nuclear campaigners will put up a huge fight against any attempt to build small nuclear reactors – Dr Richard Dixon.

POLITICS.

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. Macron: Russia Needs Security Guarantees ‘Essential’ To Ending The War. USA and UK welded together firmly in the grip of the nuclear lobby, with their Small Nuclear Reactor folly. UN: Israel must take ‘immediate steps’ to give up nuclear weapons. Japanese prime minister may seek in-depth nuclear abolition talks at Hiroshima G7 summit.

SAFETY.Why nuclear-powered France faces power outage risks. France: EDF extends nuclear outages by up to 42 days. Finland warns of power outage risk over nuclear plant startup delay – Olkiluoto 3 reactor unreliable?       Slovakia’s new nuclear power plant delayed due to a technical fault.           US imposes sanctions on six Pakistan companies for unsafeguarded nuclear activities.          TVA sends calendars to households near nuclear plants with preparedness tips in case of emergencies.

SECRETS and LIES. How the Global Spyware Industry Spiraled Out of Control.

SPINBUSTER. Watch Stella Assange Slap The Mustache Off John Bolton’s War Criminal Face.

WASTES. The world’s deepest nuclear clean-up – the Dounreay shaft. Nuclear waste permit ‘more stringent’ New Mexico says as feds look to renew for 10 years.

WAR and CONFLICT. NATO Chief Voices Fear Of War With Russia While US Greenlights Drone Strikes On Russian Territory.   Putin: Nuclear risk is rising, but we are not mad.      Ukraine war: Red Cross appeal, Kremlin sees Crimea attack ‘risks’.        Maligned in Western Media, Donbass Forces are Defending their Future from Ukrainian Shelling and Fascism.     PETER HITCHENS: The arrogance and folly in Ukraine that could yet send us hurtling towards nuclear catastrophe.’         Warfare Development Conference: NATO touts successful operations on four continents. 

WEAPONS INDUSTRY. Are the bombs are back in town? US atomic weapons in Britain would make nuclear war more likely. U.S. provides more missiles to Ukraine in new $275 million arms package Weapons interoperability and “sovereignty”: Polish state bank backs purchase of $4b more in U.S. arms . What could possibly go wrong?

December 13, 2022 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

to 6 December – Australian nuclear news, and more

Some bits of good news :  Greece says its entire electrical grid ran on 100% renewables for the first time.  Efforts to Save Endangered Blue Butterfly Quadruples its Population–but Also Saves a Lupine from extinction.


Coronavirus. (COVID-19): Weekly Epidemiological Update.

Climate.  Nature needs $384 billion a year, and other climate change stories you need to read this week. 
Climate techno-fixes keep planet on ‘palliative care’.


Nuclear. I’ve been a bit obsessed with Australia this week. The probable nuclearisation of my country could proceed so fast, –  with the enthusiasm of Australian war-mongers, to embrace our role in American plans for a war on China, enthusiasm of American firms to sell nuclear-capable aircraft to us, and News Corpse and the noisy minority extreme Right touting for small nuclear reactors.

Japan is the country often forgotten in the Anglophone media. Our website www.nuclear-news.net keeps news on Japan up to date, because our amazing contributor, dunrenard, provides thorough information translated from the Japanese originals.

AUSTRALIA.

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CLIMATE. Climate change brings risk of flooding to the multi billion pound nuclear project Sizewell C.

ECONOMICS. 

ENERGY. Warning of power cuts for France, as nuclear reactors are working at half capacity. Potential for ‘worrying’ Hinkley Point C delay highlights need for renewables. Europe, weaning off fossil fuels from Russia, but still dependent on Russia for nuclear fuel.

ENVIRONMENT. UK govt goes ahead, with Sizewell nuclear project, despite strong objections on environmental grounds, especially about water use.

LEGAL. Pursuing Assange in a US court could cause even more embarrassment than the WikiLeaks’ publications. European General Court refuses Austria’s appeal against the Commission’s decision to support 2 nuclear reactors for Hungary.

Japan. A book titled “Fukushima Daiichi NPP Accident Nakadori Litigation” (published by Sakuhinsha, Inc.) The compensation standards for voluntary evacuees from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident will finally be reviewed on May 5, and there are concerns about whether the standards will be commensurate with the actual situation.

MEDIA. NATO Narratives and Corporate Media Are Leading to ‘Doorstep of Doom’

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Ukraine’s nuclear plants 

face uncertain future . 

USA trying to use Philippines as a guinea pig for its unviable small nuclear reactors – and for military purposes. No legitimate reason to support the 

controversial nuclear technology planned for New Brunswick. Talking

 football pitches but not in Qatar.

OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR. No place for nuclear in NY’s clean energy future.    140,000 signatures of “opposition” to extension of operation period and reconstruction of nuclear power plants Submitted to the government “Reduction of dependence is the voice of the people”.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. 

SAFETY. 

SECRETS and LIES. Stolen cryptocurrency has fuelled North Korea’s nuclear program. Could it collapse amid market turmoil? UK government may be covering up the extent of its involvement in the arrest and incarceration of Julian Assange.

SPINBUSTER. China keeps aggressively surrounding itself with US bases. Expert panel full of proponents of nuclear power plants to discuss direction on March 28th, extending operation period and developing next-generation models, rushing to conclusion on “Prime Minister’s directive.

WASTES. Nuclear Free Local Authorities call for Community Partnerships to include critics of the UK undersea Geological Disposal Facility plan. Misleading claims about the supposed recycling of nuclear wastes.

WAR and CONFLICT. Explosion at Nuclear Airbase Just 150 Miles From Moscow Opens Stunning New Phase of War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFug2Wf3DcU       Britain’s bunkers offer little chance of survival after a nuclear attack. Imperialist wars—and what could be done about them — IPPNW peace and health blog.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. 

WORLD CRISES. The Guardian view on biodiversity collapse: the crisis humanity can no longer ignore.

December 6, 2022 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

TODAY. Australia looks like being really ground under by America

First of all, there’s the Julian Assange horror persecution.

Does anyone think for a moment that Joe Biden, or any other U.S. President would give in to an Australian Prime Minister’s request to free Assange?

Decades ago, the USA made sure that another journalist, Wilfred Burchett, became an international leper, because Burchett went to Hiroshima in the days immediately after the atomic bombing, and photographed and documented what he saw.

That is the fate of anyone who publicly reveals American military atrocities.

At the same time, the USA Space Force now visits Australia – and can’t wait to use Australia for its War in Space aims.

Of course the USA military wankers are also thrilled with the idea of launching attacks on China from Australia.

Ukraine is good practise for waging war “safely” from another country. Taiwan will be next, but it’s nice to have Australia in the fray too – keep the targets well out of the home country. Australia’s military wankers haven’t really thought of that – they’re NRB (Not Real Bright)

I suppose some might think that releasing Julian Assange in exchange for getting Australia to be a U.S. military base like Guam, might be a fair deal. But why do a deal, when you know that you can both persecute Assange and set up Australia as a target , without any deal?

The Australian media can be relied on to (a) ignore it all, or (b) just scream “jobs jobs” – their standard response to any military or nuclear development.

December 3, 2022 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

Australian and more nuclear news -week to 29 November

Some bits of good news: The coming culture peace.    Good News on Tuberculosis in Tanzania, Crime in the United Kingdom, and Forests in Nepal.

Coronavirus.  Omicron variant now prevalent – more infectious but fewer severe sases.

Climate.  COP27 was disappointing, but 2022 remains an historic year for international climate policy.  1.5C warming threshold to be passed in 9 years as emissions hit record high

Nuclear. The two main issues are the danger of nuclear war, sparking from the Ukraine conflict, and the drive for small nuclear reactors simultaneously with the news that their true costs are astronomic. I can only ponder on whether Kamala Harris really has any brain –  as she’s off and away trying to sell USA’s small nuclear reactors to poorer “Third World” countries.

AUSTRALIA.   

ARTS and CULTURE   Russia’s former southern capital renounces its past: How Ukraine is destroying its heritage.

CLIMATE. It’s high time to defuse the military carbon bomb. No country has the solution to nuclear waste. Nuclear is no preventer of global heating – in fact, it’s quite the reverse. New Talking Points delivers all the reasons why small modular reactors have no role to play for climate change.  “Environmental Social and Corporate governance” – EDF and the nuclear lobby try to trick the world with fake “green” credentials. 

Take it from the soup throwers, COP’s a cop-out. Fears that oil exporters will control the next COP climate summit. The COP27 promise to fund climate help for poor countries – will it really be kept?  The Amazon forest is reaching a tipping point and starting to collapse

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Videos showing execution of Russian POWs in Ukraine are authentic.

ECONOMICS. 

ENERGY. EDF Delays Restart of Three Nuclear Reactors as Winter Hits. Amongst alternative energy sources, nuclear power’s prospects are not good.

HISTORY. France opens archives related to nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific.

INDIGENOUS ISSUES. The consequences of nuclear imperialism and colonialism.

LEGAL.  Nuclear Industry Liability under the Paris Convention.    Legal challenge to UK nuclear plan by groups Stop Sizewell C and Together Against Sizewell C (TASC), and others.    Mayor of Ukraine’s second-largest city fined for speaking Russian.

MEDIA. ‘Publishing is not a crime’: media groups urge US to drop Julian Assange charges.The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine remains under Russian control, despite media reports.

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Nuclear power no solution for Canada’s North West Territory . Putin touts Russia’s ‘Arctic power’ with new nuclear icebreaker. NuScam’s Utah small nuclear reactor project in doubt – needs $billions of tax-payer support.     World’s Biggest Nuclear-Fusion Project Faces Delays as Component Cracks.

OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR. The Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG) strongly opposes new Bradwell nuclear proposal.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. 

RADIATION. Protecting kids from electromagnetic radiation in school and at home.

SAFETY. Nuclear Guinea Pigs: NRC’s Licensing of Experimental Nuclear Plants . Threat of Possible Nuclear Accident at Zaporizhzhia Sends Tensions Rising. U.N. Supplied Qatar With Tech to ‘Prevent Nuclear Security Incident’ at 2022 World Cup. Electricity production at Olkiluoto 3 reactor delayed until 2023..

SECRETS and LIES. Ukraine quietly abolishes corruption oversight rule. Ukrainian city names street after Nazi collaborator.

WASTES. Confusion over nuclear wastes from small modular reactors. Estonian public concerned about radioactive waste from planned nuclear power plant. Uniting to oppose Japanese plan to dump nuclear waste in Pacific. UK’s costly struggle to deal with dead nuclear submarines.

WAR and CONFLICT. US ‘success’ is Ukraine’s disaster.   Republished from 2019 Maligned in Western Media, Donbass Forces are defending their future from Ukrainian shelling.     China Prevented Transfer Of Polish MiG-29 Fighter Jets To Ukraine; Kept Russia Away From Nuclear Escalation. 

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. 

November 29, 2022 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

Australian and overseas nuclear news this week

A bit of good news. At the close of COP27 Summit, some progress on climate justice.

Coronavirus. Radio Ecoshock, (mentioned just below) gives a good update on the current situation

Climate. I hope that many readers/listeners have discovered Alex Smith’s Radio Ecoshock. The latest edition gives a good wrap-up on the COP27 Climate Summit. And Alex reminds us that “Paralyzed by fear of freezing or economic collapse, there is no mass movement calling for an end to fossil fuels“. ………and ” politicians cannot go too far ahead of willingness by citizens.”

AUSTRALIA. 

Australia’s reassessment of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. US big defense and Australia’s nuclear crossroads. Albanese must use Xi meeting to return us to the Howard-Abbott golden age of Australia-China relations (this from Murdoch’s Sky News !!!) 

Australia sticks to US nuclear subs despite French criticism. 

What’s happening with the radioactive waste facility in South Australia? Prep work to start next week on Kimba Nuclear Waste dump, despite Government assurances not to pre-empt court case. Radioactive waste works at Napandee, South Australia, ‘pre-emptive and unjustified’. Premier Peter Malinauskas reaffirmed South Australian Labor’s position that the Barngarla people have the right to veto the Kimba nuclear waste dump project.

CLIMATE. Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer. “Everywhere you look at Egypt’s COP27 you can see and hear the influence of the fossil fuel industry” – Greenpeace. ‘On The Highway To Climate Hell’ – The Climate Crisis, Activism And Broken Politics. 

Read more: Australian and overseas nuclear news this week

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Moscow accuses Ukrainian soldiers of killing POWs . Russia investigates alleged footage of Ukrainian troops torturing POWs

ECONOMICS. New Westinghouse nuclear deal faces old skepticism: Can it deliver on time and on budget? France’s EDF, Credit Agricole sign 1 bln euro nuclear loan. Even with billions of dollars in tax credits, costs skyrocket at U.S. Small Modular Reactor Project. UK’s Sizewell nuclear project remains unfinanced. Marketing: USA desperate to sell NuScam’s small nuclear reactors – its latest targeted buyer is Thailand.

ENERGY. As Europe Quits Russian Gas, Half of France’s Nuclear Plants Are Off-Line. Putin’s nuclear grip on Europe could spark another energy crisis, expert warns. TIDAL power extinguishes the arguments for new nuclear plants in Suffolk.

ENVIRONMENT. DOE awards millions to restart nuclear operations in southern Ohio as contamination concerns continue.

HISTORY. Who are the Ukrainian integral nationalists ? Fallout from a nuclear past: New book explores human toll of ‘nuclear colonization’ in New Mexico.

MEDIA. Musk’s Money Is Playing Old Games With New Media. With Kiev exposed for a lie that could have triggered a third world war, it is time to examine past deceptions that Western media promoted.

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Small nuclear reactors: USA, Japan, South Korea and a whole heap of companies join in the gamble of NuScam’s small nuclear reactors for Ukraine. So-Called Next-Generation Nuclear Power Plants Are Being Oversold. Strange Rolls Royce plan for Large complex of Large Small Nuclear Reactors for Bradwell. The fading promise of low-cost power from UAMPS’ Small Modular Reactors – Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. USA using COP27 to co-opt Europe , especially Ukraine, into the small nuclear reactor gamble. 

Japan’s new nuclear energy policy- is it really feasible? Nuclear fusion discovery uncovers strange behaviour of limitless energy source.

OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR. Austria digs in anti-nuclear heels as neighbours build out.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. 

SAFETY. Shelling of Zaporizhzhia is playing with fire, says UN nuclear chief, as blasts reported. Reactors at Ukrainian nuclear power plants shut down after Russian strikes. Shutdown of Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyy Nuclear Power Plant due to military attacks in the region .

SECRETS and LIES. USA Views Ukrainians And Russians As Lab Rats For Weapons Testing. Blowback: Italian police bust Azov-tied Nazi cell planning terror attacks. NATO Diplomat HITS BACK At Zelensky After He INSISTS Ukraine Did Not Send Deadly Missile: Report – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjHEi3b28bY

WASTES. Radiation Free Lakeland slams the hypocrisy surrounding “Ethics Committee”s approval of seismic blasting that kills marine life, in the plan for undersea dumping of nuclear wastes.

WAR and CONFLICT. Poland missile incident is step towards World War III – Medvedev. Missile fired at NATO member Poland came from Ukraine, US officials say. Did the “stray missiles” to Poland come from Russian or from Ukrainian military? NATO’s hair trigger: The Polish missile incident was a close brush with nuclear annihilation.Biden’s Nuclear Policy Fails the Ukraine Test. Top US general warns of reality on the ground in Ukraine.      Top Zelensky advisor threatens war with Iran.  NATO pushes to consolidate control of Black Sea —Videos from Finland: U.S. troops rehearse for war on Russian border —N Korea warns of ‘all-out’ nuclear response to US ‘aggression’

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES PERVERSE PRIORITIES UK : CUT PUBLIC SPENDING, KEEP NUCLEAR ARMS AND WARPLANES. Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters blames US profiteers for Ukraine conflict.

November 21, 2022 Posted by | Christina reviews | Leave a comment

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